Love letters lost

MEXICO: The plaza of Santo Domingo in Mexico City is lined with stationery sellers and printing shops. There you'll also find another type of craftsman whose speciality is putting words to paper — the scribe.

Mexico’s literacy rate has increased steadily in recent decades, but nearly one in ten Mexicans cannot read or write. In Santo Domingo, about 20 scribes offer their services and skills, which may include writing receipts for workers such as plumbers or builders.

Some scribes help fill out tax formsor type letters to government agencies. Not too long ago, the older scribes say, they were asked to copy schoolbooks a page at a time for families who couldn't afford the originals. Now most people simply use copy machines.

Scribes were asked to copy schoolbooks a page at a time for families who couldn't afford the originals.

But another area of their business has suffered even more as a result of modern technology. Scribes used to be asked to write love letters, sometimes even for both sides of the courtship. Now everyone uses their mobile phones.

At 27, Toño Rojas is one of the youngest scribes in the city. He charges 20 to 30 pesos (around $2) a page. “Most of my clients are illiterate,” Rojas told The Economist. “Few people would use the service simply for convenience.”

• How to write a love letter